Wednesday, May 26, 2021

TEPPEN for Dummies Part 7: Black, Forces of Destruction!

Black is usually associated with death, destruction, and other ominous things. In TEPPEN, however, Black is incorporated with death, destruction, and other omino-! Wait, WHAT?!

Anyways, yeah. Black usually relies on destroying enemy units through Actions and other nasty effects to defeat enemies. But it comes with a cost, either by paying certain amount of resources or letting yourself put into a disadvantage by destroying your own units. In short, Black is a high-risk, high-reward deck that requires careful planning and consistent card synergy to shine against most opponents. Otherwise, you would just feel like a gravedigger digging your own grave with only using a spoon as a shovel.

Today, we are going to look into some of the nastiest of the bunch. The Black Heroes. All of which are strong in their own right and have some insane gimmicks that make it a force to be reckoned with. 

1. Albert Wesker (from Resident Evil)


Wielder of the Progenitor Virus, Wesker is capable of reanimating dead units which allows them to fight back from the grave. He is the first two Black Heroes that was introduced in the game and he is a powerful despot that will do whatever it takes to win... even if he has to get his hands dirty. 





1.A. Dark Destruction
AP Cost: 20
Effect: Destroy an enemy unit that is 5 MP or less.
A good Hero Art that deals with significant threats as some of the more popular Units have 5 MP or less. There are tons of players that rely on 6 MP or more units however, making this Hero Art a lot less consistent. This used to have 18 AP, but due to the sheer power that this Hero Art provides, it was added 2 additional AP for balancing. Still a decent Hero Art, regardless.

2.A. Uroboros
AP Cost: 22
Effect: Returns a friendly unit with the highest MP cost from your Graveyard to the field. Give it "<Death>: Remove this unit from the game". 
THIS is what made him a very powerful unit as Black units tend to get rid of their highest MP cards through an Action card called False Throne, which snatches the Unit card with the highest MP away from your Deck and into the Graveyard. Also, it's a free summon meaning that it's already a good Hero Art. Used to be a very busted Hero Art due to the fact that you can just recycle the highest MP cards from your Graveyard with a simple swipe of this Art. Useful in gimmicky dual-colored decks that rely on high MP units. 

3.A. Bringer of Nightmares (subjected to an upcoming buff)
AP Cost: 12
Effect: Brings one Unit card with <Revenge> active to your EX Pocket (Unit cards with Revenge, if destroyed, will return to the Deck instead of being sent to the Graveyard, Their MP costs are also halved and it can only be activated once. Value is rounded up for those with odd-numbered MP costs).

Post-buff
Effect: Brings one Unit card with <Revenge> active to your EX Pocket and give it -1 MP. That unit also gets +1/+1

A card that is pretty restrictive, so unless you have tons of cards with Revenge, then better avoid this. It can work with the right set-up but the effort, without any contingencies in place, is not worth the while. Hopefully the buff for the Hero Art would make it more viable. 


B. Nergigante (from Monster Hunter: World)


One of the other Black Heroes introduced in TEPPEN known for its more hyper-carry approach to the color. This Elder Dragon knows only one thing; sheer power. Nergigante utilizes techniques that gives him more advantage when his HP is low, making him a high-risk high-reward Hero that gives you enough tools to make a proper comeback. Proper HP management is key in winning with this powerful monster.



1.B. Spike Divebomb
AP Cost: 15
Effect: Gives +4/+4 and 'Destroyed after one attack' to a friendly unit. 
Remember when I described Rathalos' Dive Attack is an 'all-out assault', and Chun-Li's Kikosho as an 'all-out defense'? This is an example of a 'no-holds barred beatdown' that will smack you silly if you are not prepared as the boost it provides not only provides your unit with enough HP to withstand some of the nastiest opponents, while also giving you a chunky Attack boost that will shake to the core of anyone who come against this beast unprepared. Works well to use on Units with Revenge and Death effects, as well as to be given towards units that can't attack at all as they can serve as a powerful meat shield. This also works as a defensive strategy as the boost is enough to withstand at least one attack.

2.B. Spike Launch
AP Cost: 20
Effect: Deals split damage to all enemy units in play equal to the number of Health lost through Sacrifice effects (stacks up to 12 damage). 
Sacrifice is a mechanic that lets you pay Health when playing a certain Unit or Action Card.  This can put you at a disadvantage if you are not well-resourced with other cards that replenish Health. This skill is pretty useful to make a powerful comeback, however, as most Nerg decks with Spike Launch play a lot of Sacrifice cards, making it easy to stack them up in your favor. Use this along with cards that Destroy other units and you are golden. 

3.B. Change Form
AP Cost: 25
Effect: If your Health is 15 or less, give all Unit cards on your hand and EX Pocket +2/+2.
Sounds good on paper but if you want to use it in a Ranked environment, then prepare to have a bad time as it's considered to be the worst Hero Art in the game. Not only because it has a hefty AP cost, but you have to make a Deck that revolves around the gimmick of lowering your health while having enough Units in your hand and EX Pocket to make it work. You can use this on a Revenge-centric deck, but Bringer of Nightmares is a lot better to use for that kind of deck.  The HP requirement is also too steep as your opponents could also be able to smidge up some strategies before you do, meaning that you are in a lose-lose situation on most cases. It CAN work, but you have to be VEEEEEEERY careful when trying to manage your HP and AP costs. 


C. Akuma (from Street Fighter)


Relentless and having a desire to fight the strongest warriors out there, Akuma relies on the Ascended ability to deal retribution against his foes, while also having some powerful destroy capabilities and utility to escape certain doom. He is the third Black Hero to be introduced and was first unveiled in the 2019 TEPPEN World Championships. He has become one of the fiercest characters to ever grace the game, and his Hero Arts are some of the more powerful ones as well due to its sheer will and awesome winning capabilities it provides. 




1.C. Raging Demon
AP Cost: 23
Effect: Activates the <Ascended> effect of a friendly unit whose <Ascended> ability has yet to be activated, and then destroy the enemy unit in front of it. (Ascended is an effect that requires you to put the unit with Ascended on top of another unit to activate its Ascended ability)
Some people would claim this skill as 'busted' due to the many Black Ascended cards that was released during his debut, and it's clearly a reason as to why he's a very powerful character in the first place. Also, his destruction effect bypasses powerful effects like Veil and Shield, so this makes him pretty deadly if you don't have an answer to it.

2.C. Sekia Kurtesuha
AP Cost: 20
Effect: Destroy all units with 4 HP or less.
Has potential, but this also destroys your units. Just use something else. 

3.C. Ashura Senku
AP Cost: 16 
Effect: Grants Veil and damage immunity to a friendly unit. Both effect lasts 10 seconds. The unit chosen for this Hero Art is also placed at an empty board slot.
Looks good on paper and looks good if you manage to build a deck around it. Great for aggro decks and decks that utilizes buffs to power up your units. Keep in mind that they are still prone to destruction effects should they get targeted by one through cards like Sample Collection and Hero Arts like Raging Demon. 


And finally...


D. Oichi (from Sengoku Basara)


The latest Black Hero included in the game which had a lot of tools going on. She can either deal damage to enemies based on her destroyed units, call them from the grave to do her bidding, or use Death effects to her advantage. Also, Spirits are her best friend, with tons of them being capable of supporting most of Oichi's Hero Arts, which makes her an even deadlier adversary. After all, every rose has its thorns. 




1.D. Dancing Dead
AP Cost: 23
Effect: Deals damage to an enemy unit equal to the number of Unit Cards in your Graveyard. If that unit is destroyed by this Hero Art, your Hero gains 3 Life.
Not really used but it has some advantages especially if you are using a deck that throws away cards from the Deck to the Graveyard. But that setup alone makes it more risky to use this Hero Art as you rather need to fight to win than build up your Graveyard but only to swipe the victory away from you in the last minute. 

2.D. Despair, wail, and perish!
AP Cost: 28
Effect: Bring back three black unit cards with 4 MP or less from the Graveyard to the field. All friendly units gain +1/+1. 
THIS is what makes Oichi very dangerous. She can use her cards to setup her grave, only to bring them back on the field more powerful than ever. The AP cost is reasonable too as having enough AP early on would make this Hero Art pretty abusable. This is her most used Hero Art in PVP and it shows. 

3.D. Dark Invitation
AP Cost: 14
Effect: Activate the Death effect of a friendly unit.
Only a few friendly units can utilize this Hero Art to their advantage and that are those who has Death effects, duh, which makes the Hero Art pretty restrictive in its use. A lot of good Black cards have great Death effects too, however, so it can be a niche option to consider when you want to utilize her in a way that is outside her more popular Hero Art. 

All in all, Black is a solid color to consider if you are more of a player that really wants to pump in the pressure. It's also considered one of the most powerful colors at the moment and it goes without saying due to the many tools that these Heroes can provide when it comes to achieving victory. 

And that is all for this series of TEPPEN for Dummies. If there is anything related to TEPPEN that you want me to tackle, then feel free to let me know. In the meantime, the Land of Illusion beckons your arrival, stranger!

Stay safe and God bless your day! :)

Friday, May 7, 2021

TEPPEN for Dummies Part 6: Purple, the Disruption Specialist.

Purple is a somewhat peculiar color that can either do well or fail spectacularly; there's no in-between. Unlike Red which has a strong offensive presence, but also unlike Green with tons of preventative measures to stop problem cards from getting in your way, Purple kind of reminds me of a less-popular corned beef, which is still pretty tasty, but is not really that popular to the masses due to the branding or some other reason. Mmmm.... beef. :3 

Nevertheless, today we are going to discuss the Purple Heroes in TEPPEN and what they offer to the table. As in previous entries, I will be talking about their Hero Arts, their effects, and how to utilize them to your maximum advantage. 

A. Morrigan Aensland (from Darkstalkers)


The Queen of the Underworld and the only playable Darkstalker Hero, she is one of the few Heroes that was first introduced in TEPPEN's launch and has been known for her disruptive playstyle. She can utilize Halt to bewitch unsuspecting enemies and deal with specific threats, leaving her foes helpless. Morrigan works well in a lot of deck compositions, especially with a deck that utilizes Halt to its maximum advantage. 



1.A. Temptation
AP Cost: 23
Effect: Inflict Halt to all enemy units for 13 seconds.
A great Hero Art that has a reasonable AP Cost. Not only this can give you a chance to setup your opponent, but this could also serve as a comeback mechanic while charging your MP. Works well on a Halt-centric deck, which is seeing tons of support as of the time of this writing. Also, there are some cards that have specific effects on enemies with Halt, so there. 

2.A. Darkness Illusion
AP Cost: 22
Effect: Destroy all enemy units inflicted with Halt. 
While this has been a good Hero Art in the past, the sheer force of this Hero Art makes the metagame out of control and has since been nerfed as a result. It was once cost 15 AP but was increased to make sure her foe can still fight back. But with the amount of Halt cards present, it is still a strong Hero Art, albeit not as much used as before. 

3.A. Shadow Blade
AP Cost: 18
Effect: Deals 4 damage to an enemy unit, 6 Damage to an enemy unit with Flight. Heals 2 HP to your Hero. 
Another good Hero Art that has also been subjected to a nerf due to its sheer flexibility. This is one of the few Hero Arts she had that really doesn't rely on a certain strategy to be effective. Also, with the amount of players using Flight in the current meta, this is the perfect Art to counter those pesky fliers.


B. Dante (from Devil May Cry)

It's everyone's favorite demon hunter known for his sassy fighting skills and sly tongue. Dante, along with Morrigan, was one of the few Heroes that was introduced in the early stages of the game, and has been known to be an enigma. He used to see prominence during the first World Championships, but after seeing some key cards being nerfed, with adjustments to some of the skills that he had, he became some sort of a mixed bag. Either way, his playstyle focuses on style and disrupting enemy movements. He also has a particular skill that utilizes one of the game's effect types; Resonate, which activates whenever an Action card is played.


1.B. Quicksilver
AP Cost: 18
Effect: Inflicts Slow on an enemy unit and the inflicted foe cannot counter.
Good counter for enemies that focus on bolstering their units for a quick finish. Halt would benefit well for this Hero Art as Halt resets the attack timer of the affected unit, maximizing its effectiveness. Not really used as much as his third Hero Art, but still seeing some use in some shape or form. This used to have a VEEEERY expensive AP Cost of 27, but affecting all enemy units, making the Hero Art extremely counterable in many fronts. Also, with cards like Ascended exist, this makes it pretty irrelevant to certain decks. 

2.B. Ebony and Ivory
AP Cost: 19
Effect: Allows units with Resonate to activate their Resonate effect twice, dubbed as Reverberate. 
An underwhelming Hero Art that requires specific kind of cards to make it work. While Purple is filled with Resonate cards, enemies can simply just Seal or destroy them outright, making them pretty useless. Get some Action Cards that negate other opposing Actions, as well as low-cost Action Cards, to make consistent use of this. 

3.B. Devil Trigger
AP Cost: 13
Effect: Negates damage to your Hero for 10 seconds. 
Pretty flexible Hero Art. Works well in a variety of strategies, including the ever popular Dante burn decks that focus on dealing direct damage to the enemy Hero with low-cost Red cards. So hate that deck to be honest. 


C. Zero (from Mega Man X)


A Reploid with an enigmatic nature, focuses on a mechanic known as Memory which provides additional effects to cards based on the number of Action cards used in battle. A pretty flexible Hero in certain Deck compositions and that alone makes him a force to be reckoned with. 





1.C. Fight Against Inner Demons
AP Cost: 14
Effect: Add 1 "Maverick" or "Maverick Hunter" to your EX Pocket (Doesn't count as an Explore)

Maverick:
AP Cost: 1
Effect: Destroy one random enemy unit with 6 MP or less.

Maverick Hunter:
AP Cost: 1
Effect: Friendly unit gains +2/+4.

A very flexible Hero Art that provides a particular card during certain situations. Good with Resonate decks and cards filled with Memory effects. This, however, can also serve as a detriment due to the Art's random nature. Not getting the right card could put your strategies go kaput. 

2.C. Rakuhouha
AP Cost: 22
Effect: Deals 4 damage split to all enemy units. If your Memory is between 4 to 9, deals 7 split damage instead, and if it is 10 or more, deals 12 split damage instead. 
Rakuhouha's power level hasn't been touched for a long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, much to the playerbase's dismay, but following the announcement of the new Hero, Felyne, so do come the nerf for Rakuhouha, much to people's rejoicing. The nerf, however, has led Rakuhouha to a downward spiral, but this also means that the Art is a lot more balanced now and pretty manageable. 

3.C. Tenkuuha
AP Cost: 18
Effect: Gives +2 Attack (for one attack) and Combo (for one attack) to a friendly unit. 
Pretty gimmicky in some way but pretty useful for Aggro decks. 


D. Ada Wong (from Resident Evil)


As of the time of this writing, Ada is the latest addition to TEPPEN and she is one of the more powerful units that is difficult to learn and difficult to master. She utilizes certain disruptive abilities that relies on Lock effects, while also capable of removing threats when the chance arises. Definitely matches her mysterious character.




1.D. Blackout
AP Cost: 22
Effect: Removes an enemy unit with 3 Attack or less from the game.
Very flexible Hero Art that can be used to a variety of decks. The high AP cost can be a bit of a detriment though. Also, there are tons of good cards that have 4 Attack or more and Dive Attack is a thing, so... 

2.D. Mirage Decoy
AP Cost: 24
Effect: Locks all your empty board slots for 10 seconds and returns all enemy units whose MP cost are equal to the number of board slots locked +2 to the deck. 
This is one of those Hero Arts that could be good with the right setup, but it can mess up your strategy if you don't have a back up in hand. Also, keep in mind that locking your board slots for 10 seconds could be risky, especially if your foe has come prepared against you. It DOES work well on mixed decks and decks that rely on Revenge, though. 

3.D. Break Away
AP Cost: 16
Effect: Return one friendly unit to your EX Pocket and reduces its MP by 2 (cannot go to zero), then you can place 1 random unit from your EX Pocket other than the returned unit (if applicable). 
This is where the 'difficult to use and difficult to master' comes into play as there are currently no consistent way for Purple to bring Unit cards from the Deck to the EX Pocket other than drawing them from the deck through actions. This would work well in a mixed deck that relies on having high MP cards in the deck, but even that requires more set-up and the random nature of drawing cards could really mess you up, especially if your foe is equally or more prepared than you. 

And that's all the Purple units in TEPPEN. If I would say one thing about how Purple is faring currently, they are 'kinda getting there' but not enough to outshine the likes of Red or Black. It does do well against Green in some cases, however. 

That's all for TEPPEN for Dummies for now. Going to tackle the Black Heroes later. Until then, lemme know down in the comments on your thoughts! ^_^